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Before it finally leaked out that Lance Armstrong had been making use of enhancements, there was a conversation that went something like this…

Even if he is using enhancements, they’re all (professional cyclists) using them, so even if he is, it still makes him the best of the bunch

It’s a conversation I often have in my head in today’s digital environment where businesses, large and small, are fighting for space in an overcrowded world of messaging to try and win customers over their competitors. The world of messaging has changed dramatically. Go back 10-15 years and the predominant platforms to speak to consumers were TV, Newspapers, Magazines, and Billboards. Over the past decade or so, the likes of Google and Facebook (and others) have been levelling the playing fields, creating a playground where even the smallest voice (budget) has a shot at outperforming the biggest. Today the unusual suspects often pop up in our streams, and the world has changed, possibly forever?

Fast Movers Had A Digital Advantage

During the transition, those that leapt first (the fast movers) into digital advertising discovered they had a firm advantage over the slow movers. They were usually the big voices (big business with big budgets) who were now dominating the old and new media.

As we know that’s all changing. Online advertising has become easier (it’s still not simple) and cheaper, as everyone jumped, and is still jumping, into the game. Our feeds are now made up of large brands, and my next door neighbour (selling organic carrots and potatoes).

Great Copy and Eye-Catching Images Still Win The Game

Even though its all changing, writing great copy (the words you use) and eye-catching images haven’t caught up, or haven’t made the same leap. While it can take no longer than 30 minutes to set up a digital advert that will run for weeks and months, writing great copy and sourcing the perfect images can take hours.

And yet, that’s where it’s all won and lost. Going back to my Lance Armstrong example… you can take as many enhancements as you want, if you’re not fit, strong, skilled, with the right body, experienced, well resourced, and surrounded by a great team, you are never ever going to win a Tour de France.

You Need More Than Brute Force Paid Digital Advertising

If your business has invested in digital advertising, you’re only part of the way there. You have to put your messaging up against those who are doing it well and getting the clicks, likes, comments, engagement and conversions. Don’t be fooled into thinking money alone is enough. Whomever you have working on your digital communication:

  • invest in their writing and image sourcing skills.
  • meet regularly to discuss what they’re doing and what they plan to do?
  • benchmark yourself against those that are doing it well.
  • ensure they’re reading regularly to familiarise themselves with the latest trends (the internet is an incredible resource for learning from others).
  • do the necessary work to check that your messaging is alined to your business goals, and can result in getting customers to engage with you, be that in conversation, signups, or purchases.

In todays world of digital communication doing better business is not as cheap as a minimum payment to Google or Facebook of R300 (plus VAT) per month. It takes focus, discipline and lots of time to make sure you stand out from an extremely crowded market place. The opportunity to stay ahead is incredibly large, simply because there aren’t many companies doing it really well.

 

Are you Looking to Improve your Digital Communication?

Calidascope works with small, medium and sometimes large businesses, no matter the size of their budget, to find ways to disrupt their communication playground. We’ve had some incredible successes and worked on some amazing projects. From consulting, to designing strategies, and executing on those strategies. If you’d like to explore how we can help your business, send an email to Catri Dixoncatri@calidascope.com

 

Photo by paolo candelo on Unsplash